Out of the Dark
by alescA Munroe
Summary: Orochimaru's labs are raided.  Tenzou is found, and it's debated on what should be done with him.  Characters: Yamato, Kakashi, ANBU OMC, ANBU OFC.  Mentions of Sandaime, Jiraiya, Anko.


Disclaimer: I only own the ANBU Tanuki and ANBU Hare.

Notes: Delena-chan said the fandom needed more Yamato work. Happy Winter Holidays to you all.

OoOoOoO

Tenzou doesn't know what to make of all the ANBU that had flooded Orochimaru's labs, their voices ringing in horror, fury, and _see if any of them are going to make it, dammit_. He wonders briefly if it was Anko who told Sandaime of her mentor's plans, she had seemed singularly horrified when she came to visit the first(only) time.

He sits back quietly, hoping that they wouldn't pay him any mind, and that if they did, it wouldn't be the sort of attention that Orochimaru had given him. It works for a while, the ninja are more concerned with the ones that are screaming in terror or pain or both. A mask suddenly turns towards him, and the ANBU approaches him almost casually, trying to keep from startling the boy. "Hello," the man says quietly, crouching before Tenzou and tipping his mask up with two fingers.

The first thing Tenzou notices is that his eyes are bright green, the kind of color he always imagined jealousy to be. The second is that he bears some small likeness to the deceased Yondaime, though everyone would have known if the man had any kin. It occurs to him that he should answer, and he returns, "Hi."

Envy-colored eyes crinkle at the edges. "Let's get you out of here, right?"

Beyond this man a teen with mismatched eyes covers the body of one of the other test subjects with a sheet while a blue haired woman tries not to throw up at the sight of the less positive results of Orochimaru's genetic experiments. Sandaime is shaking his head, and Jiraiya has already left, chasing after his old teammate. Tenzou looks back at the man who is waiting for his answer.

"Okay."

OoOoOoO

Tenzou looks at the ANBU who is charged with watching him. The mask has been painted to look vaguely dog-like, and the shinobi behind it can't be more than a teenager, more than a few years older than him(he finds out later the age gap is four years). They're not doing much more than stare at each other, and sometimes Tenzou looks to the machines hooked up to him. There's a standard IV drip, and he's sure one of them is a feeding tube. Sometimes an ANBU kunoichi with blue hair and a mask something like a rabbit's - she and the tanuki-masked one were right on his heels when Orochimaru's labs had been taken- comes in to give him the latest reports concerning the other experiments in a blend of ANBU terminology and normal whispers.

"You don't have to whisper," Tenzou finds himself saying. "I know we're all going to die."

They stare at him for a long moment and the kunoichi excuses herself. The dog-masked boy exhales and says, "That's the way it looks right now."

OoOoOoO

Two days pass before Jiraiya returns, without Orochimaru. It's another two weeks before Tenzou is the only one of the sixty experiments left. For a while, a pretty dark-haired girl, one of the Kamizuki, hangs on tenaciously, but eventually her body gives in as well.

Despite everything, Tenzou is fine. He's bothered by the fact that he was experimented on for a very long time, but he has nothing to complain about when compared with what happened to the others in the end. Sometimes the ANBU Hound is the one charged with watching him, but for the most part it's the Tanuki.

"Call me Arashi," the blonde says, tipping his mask up on the first day like he had back in the labs. There's no reason, really, to do otherwise, so Tenzou agrees. Arashi usually has some sort of mind puzzle with him, and with it they while away the long hours between the boy's interrogations. As the only one left, he's the only one besides Anko who can give an account of what happened, and if the nurses are to be believed, she's an absolute wreck.

Arashi usually gives him the news after asking him how he is and before they work on a new puzzle. The past few have been cryptography puzzles, but today it's a jigsaw. "There are no edges," the blonde explains cheerfully as he empties the box onto the table. "And there are six spare pieces."

Tenzou looks at the picture on the box. It's of shuriken of all shapes and sizes, repeating with no real pattern. Tenzou smiles a little. "Okay."

OoOoOoO

It's another week before Sandaime and the council try to see if Orochimaru's experiment worked. Arashi is there, Tanuki mask down for once, next to his captain and the blue haired ANBU Hare. Sandaime teaches him the seals for making a Wood Clone, and a few moments later Tenzou is staring at an exact copy of himself. The question everyone is thinking but has yet to ask is _What now?_.

Arashi comes back to Tenzou's hospital room later that evening while it's the Hound's turn to watch, with the ANBU Hare. "This is Aya," he introduces her as the blue-haired woman slowly removes her mask. "If it's all right with you, Sandaime says you can live with us until you're old enough to live by yourself."

Tenzou looks at him. "He thinks I'm dangerous."

"We don't know what Sandaime-sama thinks," Aya is quick to say, quick to the defense.

Arashi puts a hand on her shoulder. "That's not why we asked to take care of you."

Their captain is just watching all of this. Tenzou is pretty sure he has some idea of what's going on, being their captain and all, but the decision is probably news to him as well. He gives Aya a Look, and she goes outside with him to explain anything he doesn't already know. Arashi sits in his captain's vacated seat. "We just want to. We can't claim to understand what you've been through or anything, but we want to try. Is that all right?"

Tenzou considers this. He's heard the situation with the Kyuubi-vessel hasn't been favorable towards the child, and knows from the nurses' hushed conversations that the family of one of the other experiments turned its back on their son. Mitarashi Anko is being shunned for the most part. It isn't likely that most people could or would try to understand what happened.

Except these two want to try. And so does their captain, from the look on his now unmasked face. It's not pity in his expression, but something very close to empathy.

He looks back to Arashi. "...okay."

Arashi gives a quick, lopsided smile. "Right. Let's go." He stands and looks at the rest of his team. "Ne, Kakashi-kun. You're still coming for dinner, right?"

Kakashi glances towards Tenzou and puts his mask back on. Aya shakes her head before doing likewise, and says, "We'll see you at the house later. Still some work to do."

Arashi's smile is faint, but still there. "All right. C'mon, Tenzou."

Tenzou follows him out of the hospital. For the first time in a long while, he allows himself to hope things are going to be better.

OoOoOoO

end  
_I want for you just one more happy ending._


End file.
